Attachment for lawn-mowers.



No. 854,424. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

M. KBTTERER.

ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN MOWBRS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.22,1904.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAY 21, 1907. M. KBTTERER.

ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN MOWERS. APPLIOATION FILED 41116.22. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MAX KETTERER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO,

ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN-MOWERS- No. s=4,424.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed August 22,1904- Serial No. 221,618.

Mowers, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to attachments for lawn-mowers and has for itsobject to providea construction which is readily applicable tolawn-mowers already constructed or in use, by means of which attachmentthe handle of the mower, which is usually rigidly connected to the bail,may be'given a pivotal relation to said bail, so as to be free to'moverelatively to the same, or may be adjusted so as to assume any desiredangle relatively to said bail.

To these ends my invention consists in certainnovel features which Iwill now proceed to describe, and will then particularly point out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of alawn-mower having my improvement attached thereto Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the body of the attachment in the form shown in Fig. 1-;Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, illustrating the connection betweenthe attachment and bail; Fig. 4 is a similar view, illustrating theconnection between the attachment and the front end of the handle; Fig.5 is a sectional view, taken on the line x $17 of Fig. 2, and looking inthe direction of the arrows, with the adjusting bolt in position; andFigs. 6 to 9 inclusive are views of a modified structure embodying myinvention, the parts being separated and broken away, and partly shownin perspective.

' In lawn-mowers as now constructed, the driving force is appliedthereto by means of a bail l, pivoted to the frame of the mower andhaving its downward and rearward movement limited by a stop 2, so as topermit pressure. to be broughton the roller 3 when the handle isdepressed, the handle, indicated by the reference numeral 4, beingrigidly attached to the bail. This construction presents certaindisadvantages, the chief of which is that it is impossible to mow aninclined surface, such as the slope of a bank or terrace, from above,and it becomes necessary to push the mower up the slope to cut the same.I overcome this disadvantageby means of an attachment which may beapplied to the mower, being interposed between the bail and handle, andpermitting the handle to have a pivotal relation with the bail, or to beadjusted to anyangle thereto. In the embodiment of my invention shown inFigs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the attachment comprises a body 5, preferablyhollow or cored out for lightness, as indicated at 6. One end of saidbody is bent or inclined at an angle, being indicated by the numeral 7,and has transverse apertures 8 and 9, one or both of which may beslotted. This end of the device is placed between the ends of the bail,in the position ordinarily occupied by the end of the handle, andis-secured in position by the bolts 10 ordinarily used to fasten thehan; dle. The slotting of the bolt holes; permits the device to adjustitself to different makes of mowers. there are located cheek plates 11,adapted to receive between them the forward end of the handle 4. It willbe observed that the central portion of the body 5 is so bent orinclined relatively to its end portions as to compensate for theincreased distance which it adds between the mower and handhold orcross-bar 12 of'the'handle, thus bringing this latter downward below thepoint where itwould'be located if the connecting device were straight.The front end of the handle fits between the cheek plates 11 and isconnected thereto at its forward end by a pivot bolt 13. The rear endsof the cheek .plates are formed into heads 14, extending transverselyofthe handle 4, and these heads are provided with slots 15 to receive Atthe other end of the body 5- a clamping bolt 16 by means of which thehandle may be secured in any desired angular-relation to the body 5. Tosecurely lock the parts, the bolt 16 is provided at one end with a head17 and an enlargement 18, square in cross section, between said head andthe round body of the bolt. The slots 15 are of a Width about equal tothe diameter of the body of the bolt, and one of said slots is providedwith notches 19 at intervals, w notches fit the square portion 18 of thebolt. 20 indicates a nut on the end of the bolt opposite the head. Thisbolt passes through an aperture in the handle 4, and it will be seenthat when the nut 20 is unscrewed to the position shown in full lines-inFig. 5, the nut and bolt may be moved laterally to the position shown indotted lines in saidfigure, whereupon the handle may be turned freelyich ICO

upon the pivot bolt-13,and may be adjusted to any desired osition. Whenso adjusted, the parts may e firmly locked by screwing up t e nut 20,thus drawing the square porion 18 of the bolt into engagement with thenotches '19 and preventing movement of the bolt and handle around thepivot bolt 13.

When this attachment is ap lied to a lawnmower, the handle 4 may l)loosely connected to the bail by leaving it free to turn on the ivotbolt 13, or it may be adjusted at a suita le angle to said bail, and ineither case the angular relations of the handle and mower will be suchas to permit the mower to be used for cutting sloping surfaces downward.The device may be readily applied to mowers already in use or alreadyconstructed.

It is obvious that the structure may be modified without departing fromtheprinciple of m invention. For instance, in Fig. 6

have s iown the attachment as comprising two disk-like members or heads,21 and 22 The former has a shank 23 with bolt holes 24,.

by means of which it may be secured between the ends of the bail, whilethe latter has side plates 25 to receive the end of the handle, and

olt holes 26 by which it may be secured,

thereto. Each of the members is provided with an annular row of ratchetteeth 27, adapted to engage each other, said teeth surrounding anaperture 28, and when the heads are brought together,.a combined pivotand clamping bolt 29 passes through said apertures andvis provided witha clamping nut 30,

by means of which the heads may be clamped in any position to which theymay be adjusted, being held in such adjusted position by the engagementof the ratchet teeth. By this construction the handle may be adjusted toany desired angle with relation to the bail.

Other modifications will readily suggest themselves, andI therefore donot wish to be understoodas limiting myself to the precise details ofconstruction hereinbef ore described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, as the same may be modified without departing from theprinciple of my invention. j

e either leftsame to'the handle, one ofsaid points of con- 6o nectionbeing pivotal to perinit variations of the angular position of thehandle relatively to the bail, substantially as described.

, 2. The combination, with a lawn mower, a bail and a handle located inproximity there- 6 5 to, of mechanism interposed between said bail andsaid handle and adapted to connect the one to the other, said mechanismcomprising a body, means at one end thereof for securing said body tothe bail, means at the o posite end thereof for securing the same to t ehandle, one of said points of connection being pivotal to permitvariations of the, angular position of the handle relativelyto the bail,and means combinedwith the pivotal connection for securing the parts insuch dif-;-

ferent angular positions, substantially as described.

3.- The combination, with a lawn mower, a bail, and a handle, of anattachment com- 8o prising a body, means at one end thereof forconnecting the same to the extremities of the bail, cheek plates at theopposite end of said body adapted to receive said handle and havingslots therein, a pivot bolt for securing the handle between said cheekplates, and

- clamping devices to secure said handle in different positions alongsaid slot, substantially as described.

-'In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature 9c in presence of twowitnesses.

MAX KETTERER.

. Witnesses:

E. O. HAGAN,

IRVINE MILLER,

